816 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. XI. 
even with the means of pursuing their trade in the 
most profitable manner. The carcass of the whale 
had often to be abandoned for want of casks in which 
to stow the oil, and the whalebone was the only re- 
ward which they earned by their courage and skill. 
In 1839, when we arrived in Cook's Strait, their 
relations with Sydney were upon a more regular foot- 
ing, and they had been for several years uninterrupted 
by hostile inroads from pursuing their occupation. 
The whaling-town of " Tarwhite " I have already 
partly described, as well as the numerous stations at 
Kap'itl and Cloudy Bay. 
In the first beginning, these men associated together 
in small parties, and agreed upon one more skilful than 
the rest to direct the boat and take the principal part in 
killing the whale ; but his authority probably extended 
no further. As these establishments became more nu- 
merous, and were regularly fitted out and maintained 
by merchants in Sydney, not only were the members of 
a " party" enrolled under articles to serve for the 
season, but the head man of each obtained a species of 
despotic authority, maintained both on shore and in 
the boats by the exertion of a strong will. The result 
was a discipline almost as good as that of a man-of- 
war, which could not fail to excite admiration. 
It is very remarkable that there exists among the 
whalers a certain code of laws, handed down by tradi- 
tion, and almost universally adhered to, relating to 
adverse claims to a whale. Each whaling-bay has its 
own law or custom ; but they are generally very 
similar. It is recognized, for instance, that he who 
has once made fast has a right to the whale, even 
should he be obliged to cut his line, so long as his 
harpoon remains in her ; and each harpooner knows 
his own weapon by some private mark. The boat 
